California man charged in alleged flight attendant assault

DENVER (AP) — A 20-year-old California man has been charged with assault and interfering with a flight crew in an alleged attack on a flight attendant on a cross-country American Airlines flight, federal prosecutors said Monday.

Details of the allegations against Brian Hsu of Irvine were not immediately available. The case was listed as sealed, and it was not known if Hsu had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.

Flight 976 from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California, was diverted to Denver on Wednesday because of the incident, which was investigated by the FBI and did not immediately result in an arrest.

The alleged assault comes amid a surge this year in unruly airline passengers, who sometimes become violent.

Passenger Mackenzie Rose told CBS Los Angeles that the flight attendant was assaulted about halfway through the trip, when the plane was over Ohio.

At the time, Fort Worth, Texas-based American said the passenger, not publicly identified then, would be banned from all future flights. It also called for his prosecution. "This behavior must stop,” the airline said.

The head of the union representing the airline's flight attendants, the Association of Flight Attendants, praised the decision to file charges as a way to help deter verbal and physical abuse on flights. However, Sara Nelson also asked the federal government, airlines and airports to do more to hold disruptive passengers accountable, including creating a list of people barred from flying on any airline.

"This is not a new normal we are willing to accept," Nelson said.

The case will be prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Colorado.